The invention relates to protective clothing and flexible mesh made from interwoven metal rings for production of protective clothing.
Clothing made from interwoven metal rings is worn by persons handling tools, machines or objects that involve an especially high risk of injury, especially a risk of gashes to the body and its limbs. Typical work in areas, where such protective clothing is worn, includes meat processing activities in slaughter-houses, the poultry and fish industry. Flexible mesh of interwoven metal rings has heretofore given good results in such applications, because it offers sufficient protection from gashes and cuts and because it adapts itself readily to the human body, due to its excellent flexibility, and does not hinder movements of the body. The high degree of flexibility is achieved by the fact that the metal rings of the mesh surround each other mutually and loosely.
However, the high flexibility of such mesh material is also connected with certain disadvantages. This will become apparent, for example, from a protection for the forearm that can be fastened on a glove in the form of a cuff. If that forearm protection consists of a metal ring mesh, it will collapse and telescope in the area of the wrist, unless some stiffening is provided that prevents the cuff from collapsing or unless the forearm protection is made longer to extend over the elbow where it can be fastened by a strap wrapped around the arm.